Jacqueline Hill

Baltimore Sun photo by Jamie Smith Hopkins

By 8 a.m. at the Toys "R" Us in Glen Burnie, much of the early-early crowd had moved on -- back to bed, perhaps -- and the store was about as busy as a calm weekend. Jacqueline Hill of Baltimore arrived at 7:45 a.m. and filled her cart over the next hour, calling and taking calls to coordinate the Black Friday routine with her two daughters. One was at Walmart, the other at Kmart, and they were busy comparing prices to make sure they got the best deals. Hill, 54, picked up a Fisher-Price Power Wheels toy for $50, half off the usual price, and said her daughters told her it was the low price of the three stores. She called that her best deal of the day. She's especially bargain-conscious this year: She intends to spend $700, down from $1,500 last year. And she has nine grandchildren to shop for. "Nine!" she said, chuckling. "Things are on sale, so I'm kind of staying within budget," she added. --Jamie Smith Hopkins

By 8 a.m. at the Toys "R" Us in Glen Burnie, much of the early-early crowd had moved on -- back to bed, perhaps -- and the store was about as busy as a calm weekend. Jacqueline Hill of Baltimore arrived at 7:45 a.m. and filled her cart over the next hour, calling and taking calls to coordinate the Black Friday routine with her two daughters. One was at Walmart, the other at Kmart, and they were busy comparing prices to make sure they got the best deals. Hill, 54, picked up a Fisher-Price Power Wheels toy for $50, half off the usual price, and said her daughters told her it was the low price of the three stores. She called that her best deal of the day. She's especially bargain-conscious this year: She intends to spend $700, down from $1,500 last year. And she has nine grandchildren to shop for. "Nine!" she said, chuckling. "Things are on sale, so I'm kind of staying within budget," she added. --Jamie Smith Hopkins (Baltimore Sun photo by Jamie Smith Hopkins)

By 8 a.m. at the Toys "R" Us in Glen Burnie, much of the early-early crowd had moved on -- back to bed, perhaps -- and the store was about as busy as a calm weekend. Jacqueline Hill of Baltimore arrived at 7:45 a.m. and filled her cart over the next hour, calling and taking calls to coordinate the Black Friday routine with her two daughters. One was at Walmart, the other at Kmart, and they were busy comparing prices to make sure they got the best deals. Hill, 54, picked up a Fisher-Price Power Wheels toy for $50, half off the usual price, and said her daughters told her it was the low price of the three stores. She called that her best deal of the day. She's especially bargain-conscious this year: She intends to spend $700, down from $1,500 last year. And she has nine grandchildren to shop for. "Nine!" she said, chuckling. "Things are on sale, so I'm kind of staying within budget," she added. --Jamie Smith Hopkins